Shinigami
by Twilight Nuriko
Summary: One word. One word, and it changes the whole rating of the fic. Oh well, this is the rest of Shinigami and the first part is in there too. Enjoy!
1. Shinigami

Disclaimer: GundamWing is the © of Sotsu Agency, Bandai, and Sunrise.  
  
Author's Note: Duo is 17 in this fic and Quatre is 18, but Duo hasn't has a birthday yet, so at the time Quatre is older. Also, as much as it may seem, this is *NOT* a 2x4 fic. It's actually dealing with 2xHilde.  
  
Shinigami  
by:Sakura Maxwell  
  
Part 1  
  
Quatre groaned and shifted Duo's body into a new position. The 17 year old American was heavy, much heavier than he looked. Absently Quatre wondered if perhaps the cause was Duo's braid. He wouldn't doiubt it.  
  
Finally reaching the tiny shack he had staked out, Quatre sighed in relief. Walking in, he gently laid Duo on the little cot at the far corner of the seemingly one-room place. He looked around at this shack. It was barren, desolate even. There was a small window on one wall that let a pint-sized shaftof light. But that was the only window. As far as furniture went, there was a cot, a stove, a table and three chairs, an old dusty puke-green colored beanbag, and a cabinet for storage. That was it. 'Great,' Quatre thought. 'We're stuck here in a place that has no lighting, no-'. He started as he noticed a door opposite the window. He hadn't noticed it before. Crossing over to it, Quatre pulled open the door cautiously. Inside he found a bathroom, complete with tub, sink, and toilet. "Good, now I can take my shower. But first I should attend to Duo." he said out loud to no one in particular. Walking over to the shoulder bag he had brought, he took out a pair of Duo's boxers and a washrag. After getting a bowl and filling it with water, he set it on the floor next to the bed. Pausing for a moment, he studied Duo. They had been on the ran for the last two weeks, the last two weeks of the war, hiding from desperate OZ soldiers. Hard to believe the boy in front of him covered with blood and dried mud could have been the boy who was smiling and joking with comrades only two weeks before. "Oh Duo, what happened?" he asked the unconcious boy. "Why did you change so much?"  
  
At the sound of Quatre's voice, Duo stirred, but lasped back into something which could possibly be the equivalent of sleep. Shaking his head, Quatre removed Duo's clothes from the waist up, and then, picking up the washrag, begin to clean the blood from Duo's body, the blood that had tainted him, as well as the rest of the ex-pilots. Even now, at the closure of the war, they were still tainted, unpure, their not-so-innnocent souls yearning to be free, especially Duo's soul. How ironic. Shinigami yearning to be pure and untainted, unstained with the blood of the one's murdered. Innocent once more. Ironic indeed. Realizing he had stopped focusing on the task at hand, Quatre forced himself to concentrate. At least he and Duo would be left alone, no missions to hassle over, no hiding from OZ to deal with, no more war. The war was over and it was just him and Duo. No more war. Which bothered him. Why in the world did Duo self-destruct at the very end of war? "And you made me miss out on the expensive champagne, Duo," he told the unresponsive boy, pretending to pout. Having now finished with cleaning Duo's body and getting him into fresh boxers, he moved to Duo's braid. The hair was all matted with blood, twigs, dead leaves, dried mud, and God knows what else. For a minute, he contemplated leaving Duo's hair alone, then decided not to. Duo had once told him the 'legend' behind his hair, and Quatre felt it would be unrespectful to leave Duo's hair all matted and dirty. So he set about the task of cleaning it as best as could.  
  
~  
  
Later, after he showered and ate, Quatre curled up under a blanket on the beanbag that was in the shack. He had just started to nod off when Duo began to thrash around in his sleep.  
  
"Iie. Kudasai. Iie!" he murmered. "Please don't. It hurts. Ow! Get away, get away! STOP IT! YAMERO!" Duo yelled the last three words as loud as he could, beginning to cry in his sleep.  
  
Worried, Quatre went over to Duo and put his hand on Duo's shoulder. Duo flinched violently, and began to slap at Quatre. He woke, eyes wide and unseeing of anything except the person in his dream.  
  
"NO! GO AWAY! AWAY! YAMERO! Kudasai!" Duo dropped his voice to a whispher. "Oh please. Not anymore. It hurts. Oh haven't had you had enough yet? Please leave me alone and go away. Kudasai. Yamero." he whisphered in between sobs. He began to hit at Quatre once more, eyes wide and full of fear.  
  
Gathering up his courage, Quatre grabbed Duo by the shoulders and began to slap him admist all the slapping, until Duo fully woke and realized it was Quatre shaking him, not the person in his dream.  
  
"Quatre. Gomen." he said as he went limp.   
  
Quatre held him tightly for a long time, tears stainig his face. "Oh Duo," he cried, "What happened? Who hurt you? Who? What caused you to try and KILL yourself? What?" Sobbing, Quatre began to grasp Duo even more closer to him, as if to protect Duo from the horrors of his nightmares.  
  
~  
  
Duo woke up the next morning with a start. Upon seing the unfamiliar surroundings, he began to freak out. At first he was unaware of being held.  
  
"Oh God! It's happened. It'f finally happened. I've been captured, and now I'm in the habds of OZ again!" he thought fearfully. "But in a way, it's better than the hell I usually have to live with," he reflected.  
  
Then it finally dawned on Duo that he was in someone's arms. Surprised, he looked in the face of the sleeping boy who was known as none other than Quatre Raberba Winner. Of course an 18 year old wasn't considered a boy anymore. He was more like a full grown man. An adult. Vaguely, Duo wondered just why he was being held in the arms of Quatre. Thinking hard, he could remember waking up in the middle of the night. Or rather, being waken by Quatre in the middle of the night. But he still couldn't remember why. Oh well. He dismissed it with a shrug, and climbed up off of Quatre's lap. Looking around, he pretty much saw what Quatre did. Cot, stove, beanbag, table, chair, door, window, door- Wait a minute. Two doors? Surely one of them must be a bathroom. Heading towards the one closest to him at the moment, he opened it and found himself staring at trees. Lots of trees. Great big trees. Huge trees. He closed the door and headed to the other. Trying it, he indeed found what he was looking for: a bathroom. Smiling slightly, for a smile on the face of the boy known as Shinigami was a rare thing these days, he stepped inside and firmly shut the door.  
  
~  
  
It was the clicking of the door closing that woke Quatre that morning. Surprised, he looked around bewildered, unsure of where he was at and why he was there. Then it all came rushing back to him. Duo. Self-destructing at the end of the war. Carrying him to this tiny shack. Washing Duo and his unbelievable braid. Curling up on the beanbag. Having his sleep interrupted by that dream of Duo's. 'Nightmare,' Quatre quickly corrected himself. 'It was a nightmare, not a dream.'  
  
All of a sudden Quatre heard the shower stopping and shutting off. He hadn't conciously noticed it running before, but he noticed the silence now, after it shut off. In a way, he thought the silence was rather eerie. Quatre gave a little shudder.  
  
Duo came out of the bathroom, vigourously rubbing his hair with a towel. He looked up and saw Quatre was awake. "Mornin', Quatre. Back amongst the living, I see." There was no trace of cheerfullness or a light tone in his voice, and definitely no smile.  
  
"*Me* back amongst the living?" Quatre laughed incredously. "You should talk! You're the one who was out of it for two weeks!"  
  
"We've been here that long?" Duo questioned, surprised.  
  
"No. We've been here since yesterday." Quatre said seriously.  
  
"We just arrived yesterday." Duo echoed him in a faraway sounding voice.  
  
Quatre looked at him strangely. "Yeah, why?"  
  
But Duo ignored him. "Why did you save me?" he asked quietly, more to himself than Quatre, hair long since forgotten.  
  
Quatre looked shocked. "Because Duo, ...I couldn't just let you die like that!"  
  
"Why not? I'm sure the others would have been prepared to." Duo responded calmly.  
  
Quatre was silent for a moment, knowing what Duo was saying was true and yet was not about to admit. Finally he looked up and spoke. "Because Duo, you're my friend. And friends don't leave their friends to die. At least, I don't."  
  
"Well, friends may not, but I believe I was under the impression that I have - had - no friends."  
  
"What about me? Why aren't I your friend? I know you're my friend, as much as the other ex-Gundam pilots are." Qautre was a little hurt.  
  
"Because Quatre! You don't understand it, do you!"  
  
"No, I don't."  
  
Duo rode over Quatre's words, continuing with what he was saying. "Shinigami doesn't have friends! Shinigami can't have friends because he's the God of Death, and anybody that makes friends with death is going to eventually die!" Duo exclaimed heatedly.  
  
"And that's where I've got you, Duo. You're right. Any friend of death *is* going to eventually die, because they'll die whether they're friends with Shinigami or not. Because it's a simple fact! Everyone dies. Sooner or later, their time comes and they fade away. Be it heaven or be it hell, they're dead! Gone from this world. So what does it matter if Death is a friend of mine? We should all make friends with death sooner or later anyways, because one day it's gonna come knocking on our door, whether we want it or Not! And you seem to forget, Duo, you're not *the* Shinigami*, not *the* Death, but just *a* Shinigami, *a* Death! And really, you're not even a death at all. You're just a living, breathing human being, just like the rest of the world! And don't you ever forget that, Duo Maxwell! Ever!"  
  
Duo blinked at him.  
  
Part 2  
  
It had been a week since their little 'exchange', and during that time neither Quatre nor Duo had talked much. Oh sure, they had they had said good morning or goodnight to each other, talked about getting supplies since they were starting to run low, but the fact of the matter was that they just did not hold conversations with one another. And so nothing more about the whole had been said.  
  
But one day Quatre picked up the conversation where it had been left off.  
  
"Duo," Quatre asked quietly, "what would you have done if I hadn't saved you? I don't think you would have died. I doubt your will to die is that strong."  
  
"Well, . . ." Duo paused thoughtfully, thinking it over for a minute, chewing on the end of his braid. "I don't know. I suppose ...." he stopped again, unsure of whether to continue. He didn't want to risk upsetting Quatre and getting another argument again.  
  
"Well?" Quatre prompted.  
  
Duo resumed. "I suppose ... I suppose I would have shot myseld." he said softly. He turned his back to Quatre. He could sense Quatre's eyes on him, studying him.  
  
"But Duo!" Quatre cried passionately, "what about me? And Heero? And the others? And what about Hilde?"  
  
At the mention of Hilde's name, Duo whirled back around savagely. "Shutup, Quatre! Just shutup! I don't wanna hear it!" he exclaimed darkly, scowling at a startled Quatre.  
  
Quatre looked on the verge of tears. "Duo... listen to me. I know the others care about you just as much as I do. Especially Hilde. She cares for you *more* than I do, "Quatre paused for a moment, startled at seeing the look in Duo's eyes. It was brief, but inside the look was scary. Fucked up. And... full of pain. Then the look passed, and Quatre continued. "Duo, you must know Hilde loves you. I see it in her eyes, whether she's around you or not. We all do. Whether you're oblivious to it or not, I don't know, but I *do* know Hilde loves you, much more than you or I realize, much more than even *she* realizes."  
  
"What would you know of Hilde's love for me," Duo interrupted him. "How would you know any of that? You don't know anything about Hilde's love." He felt Quatre's hand on his shoulder and flinched. The bruises on the outside of Duo had disappeared, but the ones on the inside were still there.  
  
Quatre knew by know Hilde had managed to hurt Duo somehow, yet he continued on, hoping to draw it out from Duo, get Duo to open up to him. "I saw it in her eyes, Duo. She loves you. She truly loves you. And I bet . . ." Quatre clammed up suddenly, seeing how as Duo had begun to cry. "Duo?" he asked catiously. "What's wrong? Why won't you at least tell me? I already know something must have happened between you and Hilde, so why won't you tell me?"  
  
"You're wrong, Quatre." Duo informed him. "Nothing happened."  
  
"Stop lying. You're in denial, Duo." Quatre pressed. "So just tell me. Say it. Come on, just between me and you, tell me:what happened?"  
  
"Nothing Happened, Dammit!" Duo yelled semi-loudly, crying openly now, great, big, hysterical sobs tearing through him, racking his body and causing him to shudder helplessly.  
  
Quatre was frightened now. He knew something real bad must have happened between Duo and Hilde for Duo to have cause to cry, especially like this.  
  
"Duo, please! Just tell me, dammit, tell me! Please!" Quatre begged, beginning to cry a little on his own, out of his fright for Duo.  
  
"FINE!" Duo yelled. "She BEAT me! Hit me so badly I had bruises that lasted three weeks! Jealously bruises from that stupid bitch! There! I told you! Are you fuckin' happy, fuckin' *satisfied* with yourself now?!" he screamed at Quatre. After awhile his screaming words became nothing more than mere screams, and he screamed relentlessly at Quatre. Finally he collapsed, sobbing quietly, into Quatre's arms.  
  
"Oh Duo, I don't know what exactly she did to you, but whatever it was, I'll be here for you." Quatre thought to himself down softly at him, at the 17-year old who had once been the boy known as Shinigami.  
  
~owari~  
  
Yea! One of my more serious fics! You like? Although, the ending may be a little abrupt. Also, no sequels please. I won't have time to write one.  
  
© 2000  
  
August 14, 2000 Monday 1:46 am Sakura Maxwell 


	2. Shinigami: The First Sequel

Disclaimer: I don't own GDW. *sighs  
  
Anyways, here it is. The complete Shinigami:The First Sequel, both parts 3 and 4. Expect the second sequel sometime in the (hopefully) near future.   
  
Shinigami:The First Sequel  
by:Twilight Nuriko  
  
Part 3  
  
Quatre looked over at the sleeping boy. It had been a week since Duo had confessed and not once in all that time had Duo looked at him, much less spoken to him. Quatre knew Duo had been ashamed at telling him. A feeling of pity washed over him, but was quickly replaced by rage as he thought of Hilde and how she treated the boy that loved her.  
  
"He trusted you, Hilde, and loved you with all his heart. And that's the way you repayed your love? By hitting him?" Quatre asked out loud to himself.  
Suddenly Duo stirred and sat up. His eyes had a wide look, and his hair was disheveled and tangled. He had the look of a person who has just woken up. Without saying a word to Quatre (as usual), he got up and stumbled over to the bathroom.  
Quatre heard the sound of running water hitting tiles, and it changed as Duo stepped in and it began pelting his flesh. He sighed. Every morning it was the same thing. Duo would get up, shower, eat, and then disappear outside in the forest for hours at a time, usually coming back only for supper, and then going back out, reappearing just before sunset.  
~  
"....hitting him?" Duo heard Quatre's voice ask as he groggily awoke and sat up. What was Quatre talking about, he wondered. Oh well. Finding Quatre near him was not uncommon these days, so Duo assumed Quatre was talking to himself. The guy was a nut.  
Without a word, he climbed out of bed and stumbled over to the bathroom. Once inside, he shut the door ad locked it, then turned the shower on. Shedding himself of his boxers and socks, he stepped inside, the water stinging him as it came in contact with his bare flesh. He quickly adjusted it and the water became gentler. Submerging himself, Duo allowed himself to drown in his thoughts. Why did he ever tell Quatre about Hilde? He was a baka, a pure fool. Now Quatre probably thought he was a wimp, a coward, afraid of women. Not to mention a crybaby. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Quatre anymore, especially not after screaming relentlessly at him. He felt even more ashamed at himself than he had when Hilde was still abusing him. But why should he worry about that? After all, he was Shinigami, and Death should have no cause to worry about anything, so-  
"Duo! Hey Duo! Hurry up in there! You've been in the shower for thirty minutes!" Quatre's voice cut into his thoughts.  
Startled, Duo looked up. Had he really been in here that long? No matter. Quickly Duo washed his hair and his body. Turning off the shower, he stepped out. Shivering, he dressed in his usual favorite outfit, then set about the task of braiding his hair by himself. Fifteen minutes later he was done. Opening the door, he stepped out and hurried past Quatre, who was waiting to use the shower. Duo headed over to the storage cabinet and got out a bowl and some dry cereal. Fixing himself some, he began to eat, not really tasting the food. Heck, he wasn't even hungry. He only ate to stay alive. Having finished, he placed his dishes in the makeshift sink (which was really just an old bucket filled halfway with water) and left, venturing out into the forest, as was his daily routine now.  
~  
Quatre came out of the shower, and caught a glimpse of a braid that was just leaving. He sighed. Off to the forest again, Quatre thought dismally. He wished Duo would stay here so he could talk to him. He had a couple of things he wanted to ask. He shrugged it off. Maybe tomorrow. He could ask while Duo was eating, instead of going to take his shower.   
After eating, Quatre curled up on the beanbag with a book he had luckily remembered to bring with him. An hour or two later he looked up and was shocked to find it was raining. A real drowner, in fact. Where was Duo? Quatre frowned. He wouldn't stay out in this weather, would he? Maybe it had just started raining? Trying to ignore the growing sense of dread, he resumed reading. An hour later, the wind was blowing fiercely, the thunder was shaking the shack, the lightning brightning it, the rain coming down in torrents. And Duo had still not returned. Terrified, Quatre rushed out into the dangerous storm, yelling as loud as he could. The rain blinded him, and he blundered and stumbled his way along. Several times he fell in the slippery mud, but stood right back up and continued his frantic search.  
~  
Duo shivered. Cold. He was so cold. Where was he? It had started raining almost five hours ago now, and he was lost and miserable. He had long ago given up on trying to find the shack. All he wanted was a nice dry place where he could hide from the storm until it stopped. Oh why had he come out this morning? He knew he should have stayed inside today, he *felt* it. And he still felt it. Something bad was going to happen to him.   
A flash of lightning lit up the forest, but the only thing Duo could see was the rain, oh, so much rain...He heard a liud crack, and in the instant before the tree fell on him, he heard Quatre call his name.  
"Duo!"  
  
Part 4  
  
"Duo! Where are you! Duo! Where are you!" Quatre yelled as loud as he could over and over again, in a voice filled with very much panic and worry. A clap of thunder rattled the leaves, and a flash of lightning followed. The rain came down in huge thick drops that were so close together, and stabbed against his skin, paining him and leaving tiny bruises all over his exposed skin. He wished he'd thought to put on a shirt before he ran out. Instead, all he had was a pair of jeans. No socks, no shoes, or no shirt. From far off, another flash of lightning lit up the sky, and then Quatre heard the unmistakable sound of a tree being struck. He hoped Duo wasn't nearby. Suddenly a chill came over him as he heard the tree hit with a THUD! and he quieted for a moment.   
He started off in the direction of the fallen tree, once more taking up his yelling. After what seemed an eternity, he reached his destination, and stumbled over something soft. An animal, perhaps? Bending down, he blindly groped around until he felt Duo's unresponsive body under his hands.   
"Oh my God Duo!" Quatre cried. Without thinking, he tried to push the tree off Duo's body. Of course it didn't budge. Had the tree landed on his back or his legs? In this rain Quatre couldn't tell. Either way, Duo wouldn't make it unless he got immediate medical attention. Quatre cursed himself. Why in the heck had he brought then out to this shack in the middle of nowehere in the first place anyways? It's not like they had to hide. The stuoid war was over. There was no need. So why?  
Grasping ahold of Duo's limp hand, Quatre sat in the mud and huddled his knees up to his chest, hoping the rain would stop, or at least slack off, soon. He hoped someone would happen to find them and help. He hoped Duo would be okay. He hoped-Nothing. Quatre had fallen asleep.  
~  
Quatre woke to the steady sound of the rain drumming harshly against the leaves. Christ! It was *still* raining. And just as fiercely as it had been yesterday. Or was it still night? He had no idea. All he knew was that he was cold and tired and wet and afraid. How long before the rain stopped? Or how long did Duo have before he died? Or Quatre himself for that matter. Quatre shivered violently and sneezed several times. God, he was so cold. So terribly cold....He drifted off in a light sleep again, his dreams nothing but hellish nightmares that he could not remember. When he awoke later, he had a pounding headache and was covered in a light sweat despite the cold. His skin felt clammy. Quatre knew he must be feverish. That was not good. Too much longer in this rain and he'd catch pnuemonia and die. Somehow, the prospect of dying out here struck Quatre as being very funny, and he began to laugh insanely. Yet his laughs were hollow and filled with fear. He closed his eyes and willed himself to stop laughing, hoping sleep would be granted. But this time sleep didn't come to Quatre. He sighed. Laughing crazily wouldn't help him, and neither would just siting here in the mud, soaking wet. If only the rain would stop, then he could see. Perhaps if he tried to get Duo out from under the tree, instead of moving the tree. Heck, it was worth a shot.   
Kneeling, he felt around and begin digging mud out from under Duo's body. Some of it stayed out, but the rain caused most of it to slip back in. Still, Quatre dug determindly. But when a streak of lightning flashed across the place, Quatre saw he hadn't made much headway. He groaned. This wasn't working. Even so, there was nothing else he could do. He resumed digging. He worked steadily for about five hours, making remarkable progess. However, if the rain didn't lessen at least for a little bit, all his work would be for nothing. From far off he heard the rumbling sound of thunder.  
After working for another forty-five minutes or so, he began to feel dizzy and faint, forcing him to stop removing the mud out from under Duo's body. Automatically the mud began to fill the small hole he had managed to make. Fervently, Quatre forced himself to keep going, despite the sickness he was feeling. Working almost non-stop for a whole day and night, he managed to get half of Duo's trapped body out from under the massive oak tree. Allowing himself a small smile, he stopped and almost immediately passed out and drifted off into a deep feverish sleep. When Quatre awoke, he noticed the rain had lessened considerably, but not enough so that he could see anymore than he had been able to before. Sighing and trying to ignore the steadily growing pounding of his head, he felt around for Duo's body and once more began the impossible task of getting rid of the mud. At least now less mud would fall back, since the rain slowed. Unfortunately, Quatre soon found he would not be able to make any headway unless the storm quit altogether. He was too weak to dig with enough strength to complete anything worthwhile. Then he heard a noise. It was Duo.  
~  
Duo groaned and opened his eyes. He felt something sticky on the backs of his legs that were no longer trapped and realized it for what it was. Blood. OhShinigami, the blood. There had been so much blood. He remembered waking once more and feeling the luke-warm liquid flow over his legs and onto the ground, only to be washed away by the rain. Dimly he became aware that there was someone nearby him. It was undoubtly Quatre. Duo heard him panting heavily as the man worked to remove mud from under Duo's body. As Quatre brushed against him, he could feel the violent trembling of the sweaty, clammy body. With a shock, Duo realized Quatre was dangerously ill; vaguely he wondered how long he had been out here. It was still raining. Why was Quatre once again trying to save him? Duo felt a blanket of mixed emotions creep over him. Apparently Quatre still considered Shinigami as a friend. And now he was going to die, as did all of Death's friends. He tried to speak, to tel Quatre to forget about Death and to save himself, but he couldn't make his mouth even form the words, not to mention speaking them. He sighed and mentally cursed himself. Suddenly Duo found Quatre was digging anymore. Why? What had happened? He tried to move, and grimaced as a wave of pain washed over his imprisoned body. Clearing his throat several times, he once again attempted to speak.  
"Qu.....atre...." he managed hoarsely.  
"Duo?" A hoarse voice matched his. "Was that you? Are you concious?" Quatre's voice was very weak, and he seemed greatly far off.  
"Hai." he said softly.  
"Duo....I'm sorry. I can't get you out anymore than I already have. I've become too sick and feeble." he said apologetically.  
"S'ok." The two of them fell silent, rain hitting their faces and trickling down their constantly shivering bodies. Every once in a while a bolt of lightning would light the sky and Quatre could see Duo lying there, so vunerable and helpless.  
Duo sighed. Bad enough he had to die, but to die in Quatre's presence? That was downright embarrasing for Death to die in the presence of another. Oh well. That couldn't be helped. He heard soft snoring, and realized Quatre had fallen asleep. "That's not a bad idea, Winner," he murmured as he closed his eyes. Man, he was tired. Pretty soon, there were two softly snoring guys.  
~  
The first thing Duo noticed when he woke was the rain. Or rather, the lack of rain. It had finally stopped. The second thing he noticed was that it was actually night. He was suddenly overcome with an urge to get out from under this friggin tree and get away, away from the forest, the shack, Quatre. He hoped Quatre would awaken soon so he could continue to free him(Duo)from the tree. But when morning came and passed, and then afternoon, and it became clear Quatre wasn't going to awaken anytime soon, he desperately tried to free himself. Wriggling this way and that, he ignored the seeminly jagged bolts of pain that shot up his legs and back. He was already mostly free, if he could just get the rest of his legs free...  
Slowly, inch by inch, Duo managed to work his legs out from under the tree. Three hours later, he was free and totally immobile. The first time Duo tried to stand, his legs crumpled under him like a ragdoll. Flinching at the immense pain, Duo dragged himself to Quatre and shook him awake as best as he could.  
~  
"Huh?" Quatre groaned sleepily. Oh God, where *was* he?  
"Quatre...wake up, wake up."a hoarse voice-Duo's-said.  
"I'm up." Quatre managed.  
"Listen to me. You gotta go and get up. Save yourself. Don't worry about me. Just forget me. Go to a hospital and get some help." Duo instructed him.  
"No," Quatre said stubbornly.  
"Yes. Please. I don't have the strength to argue."  
"No. I'm gonna get help for you, too, even if it's for the simple fact that I wanna keep you alive so I can ask you some questions." Then Quatre noticed Duo's legs were no longer being crushed by the tree, they were totally free. "Hey, how'd you get free?"  
"That doesn't matter. Just go, before the rain decides to begin again!" Duo commanded as harshly as he could, for a voice that is hoarse from misuse won't sound very harsh.  
"Allright." Quatre slowly climbed to his knees, then to his feet, standing shakily. Carefully, he took a catious step, then, like Duo before him, collasped. Yet he was resolved to go get help for Duo, never mind himself. Finally, after about the eighth try, he was able to stand and take small steps. However, this required a lot of strength for someone as sick as him, and soon he was trembling violently. Even so, he willed himself to go on. After traveling about two days, Quatre glimpsed the shack appearing in his sight. "The shack! The shack!" he cried rustily. "It's the shack!" For the second time since he'd been sick, Quatre began laughing crazily. All of a sudden he collasped, too weak to walk any further. "No. I'm not going to die with the shack so close in sight," he muttered determindly. He began crawling towards the door, with many stops for rest in between. Finally, he reached it. Warily, for he had hallucinated the shack several times before, he reached his hand out and grasped the doorknob. Solid. It was real.  
"Allright! I made it to the shack!" Quatre dragged himself in, then forced his legs to hold him up as he stood. He weakly walked over to his bag and grabbed a change of clothes. Locking himself in the bathroom, he took a very quick-and very gentle-shower. Afterwards, he went over to the bed and pratically collasped into it, falling into a nightmare filled sleep, tossing and turning. When he awoke much later he felt incredibly rested and a lot less feverish. He even had a fair amount of his strength back.  
"Good. I can drive to town and finally get help for Duo. I only hope I'm not too late," he added fearfully.  
After eating almost all the food in the shack(I'm not kidding. He hadn't eaten in almost two and a half weeks), Quatre drove off to town.  
~  
It had been three days since Quatre had left him. Duo hadn't slept once in all that time. The silence was badly unnerving him, and Duo had the creepy feeling of being watched. Yesterday he had heard a sound which oddly sounded lke inane laughter. Yet for some reason that didn't frighten him in the least. Neither did the fact that Shinigami was going to die. Duo looked all around him, satisfied that he was alone, left to die by himself. Quatre had said he would get help for him, but Duo doubted help would come before he died. Suddenly he felt a light drizzle of water atop his head and knew it had started raining again. Miserably, he curled up into a little ball and began to cry. He was so cold and hungry and the pain he felt, or rather, didn't feel, was immense. He was numb from the waist below. Eventually, Duo cried himself to sleep. Some time later, he became unconscious.  
~  
"Please sir. If I could just use your computer..." Quatre pleaded. He was hoping to find a clue to the whereabouts of Heero's existance. No one in this town believed him about Duo, or if they did they weren't willing to help. But he felt Heero would help. At least he hoped so.  
The man glanced at Quatre. After a moments contemplation, he sighed and held open his door for the younger man to come in. This was the man who said there was some boy out in the forest that needed help. "Come in. But make it quick," he said.  
"Arigatou." Quatre stepped in and immediately spotted the computer. He hurried over and plopped down into the chair and began to work, grimacing at the slight pain that still existed. An hour and forty-five minutes later he was knocking on the door of Heero's apartment.  
~  
Heero cursed as he got up to answer the door. He had just been about to sit down and eat, when someone knocked on the door. He pulled open the door and blinked in slight surprise.  
"Quatre?" he questioned the Arabian.  
"Oh God, Heero," Quatre gulped,"please come back with me! You gotta help me get Duo to a hospital! I'm too weak, and nobody in the town would help me and we need to hurry because Duo could die, especially since it's raining again that is if he isn't already dead-" Quatre babbled frantically, the words rushing out before he could stop them.  
"Woah, Quatre, slow down and start from the beginning." Heero soothed.  
"There isn't time Heero. Just come with me now."  
"Ok, ok." Hoping to satisfy Quatre, Heero grabbed his jacket and followed the man to the van waiting outside. On the way back to the shack, Heero listened incredulously as Quatre told him what all had happened. After what seemed forever, the guys arrived at their destination. They rushed out of the van amd into the forest, calling Duo's name loudly.  
~  
"....o....Duo! Duo!" Duo heard his name being called from far offand tried to open his eyes. When he found he could not, he lifted his head weakly and yelled. Well, he tried to yell. All that came out was a faint whispher.  
"Quatre." He tried again. "Quatre. Quatre!" The last one came out as a quiet yell. He kept yelling, his voice getting a little louder with each yell. "Quatre, I'm over here!" he managed before he collasped.  
~  
"...over he..."  
Quatre turned at that sound. "Hey, quiet for a minute, Heero!" he exclaimed. "I thought I heard something!"  
They listened for a moment. Silence. Still, Quatre was persistent. "Over here! I'm sure I heard him!" Quatre began running in the direction he had heard Duo. Shortly afterward he came upon the prone figure of Duo, lying there still and bloody. Heero wasn't far behind in arriving. The two men hefted up Duo's body and began to head out of the forest.  
~  
Two weeks later  
"Hey Duo! You're finally awake. Feel any better?" Heero asked as he walked into the room of the hospital.  
"Oi! Heero!" Duo exclaimed weakly. "Feelin' great! I just love lying almost immobilized in a hospital bed, stuck in a room that smells of disinfectant and urine! Does a body good, you know." he managed a feeble laugh.  
"Baka." Heero snorted. "You're lucky you survived. I'm surprised you didn't die."  
"Oi, Heero," Duo protested. "Have a little faith in me! I *am* Shinigami, after all. Shinigami never dies, because then he'd lose his job." Duo said yawning. A little while later he fell asleep.  
Getting up, Heero turned out the light and left the room. "Shinigami never dies, huh? That's good, Duo, cause Quatre and I want you to stay around for a long time. Sleep well, Shinigami." 


End file.
